Head-covering towel for unpleasant weather conditions

ABSTRACT

A towel adapted to be wearable over the head with a wearer&#39;s cap or hat to protect the head from unpleasant weather conditions such as cold, wind, dust and ultraviolet (uv) rays. The towel has an opening dimensioned to receive the crown of a headgear. A size adjustment means attached to the edge of the opening enables to releasablely secure the towel body onto the headgear. The body portions determined by the opening when the towel is worn comprise at least one horizontal portion which is wide enough to cover a visor or a brim and at least one vertical portion which is long enough to drape at least over the shoulder. The horizontal body portion is capable of expanding coverage outwardly from the wearer&#39;s head along the visor or the brim, and the vertical body portion is capable of increasing coverage downwardly to the upper body.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/817,640 filed Jun. 29, 2006.

TECHNICAL FIELD & BACKGROUND

The present invention generally relates to the field of head covers more specifically a towel adapted to be wearable over the head with a wearer's cap or hat to protect the head from unpleasant weather conditions such as cold, wind, dust and ultraviolet (uv) rays.

The most common tools to protect a wearer's head from the sun and other weather conditions are cap and hat. A problem with these headgears is that when the sun is not directly over the head, a wearer's neck, face, and ears cannot be protected. There are three types of headcovers to provide increased coverage. The first type would be permanently attached to the headgear. This requires a user to purchase a specialized cap. The second type would be the head cover to be removably attachable onto the headgear. This requires multiple operations for attachment and removal. The third would be a scarp type which is often wearable without a cap. A problem of the scarp type is that the wearer has to carry around this at all times even in good weather conditions. People are not likely to purchase and carry around a specialized and unfamiliar-looking headgear or headgear accessory.

A towel is the most common object to be carried by people performing outdoor work-related activities such as outdoor research, gardening, construction work, and sport-related activities such as golfing, hunting, fishing and cheering. A main function of the towel is wiping moist, sweat or dirt. Other functions are cooling, group identification, advertisement, and so on. The towel can be utilized for a screen, a shield or a shade. The towel used over a head are often seen upon drying hair after taking a shower, cooling the head in the sauna, and warming up and hiding the head during entrance for boxer and other fighters. Many outdoor workers, gardeners and golfers use towels to put over their heads during hot summer to protect the face from heat and ultraviolet ray. Although the towel can be used for the headcover in many cases and the towel over the head is not odd-looking, a major problem of the towel for the headcover is that it can be easily slipped off from the crown by wind or vigorous activity.

The present invention enhances the function of the towel as a headcover with advantages of the characteristics that it is familiar-looking and commonly carried around in most outdoor activities. Others have invented headcovers, but the present invention is superior because it:

-   -   Is easy and simple to manufacture.     -   Keeps all functions as a towel such as wiping, cooling,         advertising, and so on.     -   Is easily portable.     -   Fits all different sizes of headgears     -   Provides more security.     -   Provides increased coverage to shield a great portion of face         and neck.     -   Is easy to put on and remove     -   Is easily flexible to rotate around the wearer's crown to change         the shielding side which is dependant on the direction and angle         of the sun     -   Is wearable onto various headgears such as a cap, a hat and a         visor cap.     -   Is wearable directly onto the crown of a head     -   Is easily adjustable for a wide range of adverse climatic         conditions such as cold, wind, dust and ultraviolet ray

Still further advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described by way of exemplary embodiments, but not limitations, illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like references denote similar elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 a is a top flat view of a headcover, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 1 b is a top flat view of another headcover, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 2 a is a detailed top flat view of the first structure of the opening shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 2 b is a detailed top flat view of the second structure of the opening shown in the FIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 2 c is a detailed top flat view of the third structure of the opening shown in the FIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 3 a is a perspective side view of an embodiment, shown in FIG. 1 a, worn with a cap, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 3 b is a perspective side view of an embodiment, shown in FIG. 1 a, worn with a hat, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 3 c is a perspective side view of an embodiment worn with a hat, shown in FIG. 3 b, in an alternative way of deployment, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 4 a is a perspective side view of an alternative embodiment, shown in FIG. 4 b, worn with a cap, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 4 b is a perspective side view of an alternative embodiment worn with a cap, shown in FIG. 4 a, in an alternative way of deployment, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 5 a is a perspective side view of a preferred embodiment worn with a cap, shown in FIG. 3 a, in an instant removal of a shield, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 5 b is a perspective side view of a preferred embodiment worn with a cap, shown in FIG. 3 a, in an instant removal of two shields, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 6 is a perspective side view of a preferred embodiment worn with a cap, shown in FIG. 3 a, in a way of extensive shielding, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Various aspects of the illustrative embodiments will be described using terms commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced with only some of the described aspects. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrative embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well-known features are omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the illustrative embodiments.

Various operations will be described as multiple discrete operations, in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the present invention; however, the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations need not be performed in the order of presentation.

The phrase “in one embodiment” is used repeatedly. The phrase generally does not refer to the same embodiment, however, it may. The terms “comprising”, “having” and “including” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise.

The present invention provides a towel to cover a wearer's head with a cap or hat and the towel. FIGS. 1 a, 2 a and 3 a illustrate embodiments in perspective. The head-covering towel includes a body 1 for covering a head and an opening 4 for receiving a crown of the cap 11.

The body material is any fabric making towels such as cotton, cotton blends and microfiber fabrics. Other fabrics can be also used as long as they provide a sufficiently high uv protection factor (UPF) value. The shape of the towel is rectangular as illustrated in FIG. 1 a. However, any shapes may be chosen as long as they are generally symmetric with respect to a lengthwise axis 3. The head-covering towel has an opening 4 generated by a unitary cut. The opening 4 may be generally cross or asterisk in shape. However, any other shapes, for example circle and oval, may be chosen as long as they accommodate details in the crown shape of the cap 11. The opening 4 determines the body 1 to include a horizontal body portion 13 and a vertical body portion 14 when the towel is worn by a wearer. The horizontal body portion 13 is for covering over the visor 15 of the cap, and the vertical body portion 14 is for covering the lower head.

There are at least three ways to manufacture the head-covering towel based on how to construct the body 1 portion and the opening 4. As illustrated with the embodiment in FIGS. 1, the first method is the most simple in that the towel is made by cutting out the opening 4 portion from one piece of the towel. The second method is connecting two pieces of the towel including a cut out portion to form the opening 4 at the connected edges. The third method is connecting two pieces of the towel forming the vertical body portions 14 to one middle piece of the towel containing the opening 4. The material of the middle piece can be different from the other body portions.

Many edge finishing 6 methods such as casing, trim and reinforcement can be applied to the opening edge 5. The opening 4 can also have a means for securing the towel body to the headgear. The securing means holds a cap 11 in the opening 4 but in a removable manner. The securement must be quick and easy to effect, but it must also provide sufficient holding strength to keep the towel from slipping off from the cap 11 in normal use. As illustrated in FIG. 2 a, The opening 4 has an affixation 10 for the securing means. It can be an elastic fabric or band sewn or otherwise attached to the opening edge 5. The elastic elements generate a circumstance that is not larger than the size of the opening 4. When the towel is worn with a wearer's cap, the opening attached with the elastic elements is expandable outward to fit wide range of head size. The area surrounding the crown should be variable dependently on the width of an affixation 10. Wider affixation should accommodate more upper part of the crown of a headgear. A beanie of which low part can be sewn or otherwise attached to the opening edge 5. This can also secure the towel body to the headgear by covering the entire crown of the headgear.

As other alternative options, the securement can be achieved by a size adjustment means. The size adjustment means is a string 7 with a cord stop 8 attached to the opening edge 5 through grommets 9 engaged in multiple positions around the opening edge 5 as illustrated in FIG. 2 b. The string 7 can be attached to the opening edge mediated by an affixation 10 as shown in FIG. 2 c. This affixation 10 may have a casing or grommets to house a string. The string secured by a cord stop generates a circumstance that is not larger than the size of the crown of a headgear. This allows the headcover to be removed only upwardly, and prevents the headcover from tugging to the neck and causing choking. When the towel is worn with a wearer's cap, the opening attached with a size adjustment means is adjustable to fit wide range of head size. Many other size adjustment tools, for example a drawstring and a cloth strap, can be alternatively used for size adjustment means. Other fastening methods, for example buttons, snaps zippers and loop-hook, can be also applied to secure the towel body to the headgear.

The towel can be worn by placing the opening 4 over the crown of a wearer's cap, and pulling the vertical body portions 14 downward with both hands, and adjust slide and secure the cord stop 8 until accommodating the opening edge 5 around the crown. The towel can be removed simply by pulling one of either vertical body portions 14 upward with one hand while another hand holds the visor 15 of the cap.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 a, two vertical body portions meet each other at the body portion around the opening 4, and form a horizontal body portion 13 which is substantially planar. One side of the horizontal body portion 13 covers the visor 16, and opposite side of the horizontal body portion 13 may form a brim-like structure 17 at the rear side of the wearer's cap 11, thereby expanding the horizontal body portions forward and backward to a wearer's cap 11. In this position, the vertical body portions 14 start to cover both sides of the face from the widthwisely expanded horizontal body portions and drape comfortably over the wearer's upper body. This allows the towel to entirely protect both sides of the wearer's face and ears, and to effectively protect nose, chin and neck from the oblique sunlight without impeding the wearer's sight. There is an enough gap between the vertical body portions 14 and the wearer's face to allow good airflow and ventilation. The effective coverage in combination with the good ventilation is advantageous when a wearer uses the towel for protecting one's face from both sunlight and heat. The good airflow enhances the cooling effect by increasing evaporation rate when a wearer uses a moisturized towel for the headcover.

The towel can be used with other headgears, for example a hat or a visor cap. The towel with a visor cap can be worn and function in similar manner to that with a cap. However, the towel with a hat is worn and functions differently compared to that with a cap shown in FIG. 3 b. The horizontal body portions 13 should be more extended toward to side and rear direction due to the side and rear brims in the hat, thereby allowing the towel to cover the both sides of face more remotely than that with a cap.

The towel can be worn by itself when any headgears are not available in an adverse climatic condition. The wearer can make the opening 4 encircle more backward of the wearer's crown. This somewhat lifts the edge 4 of the horizontal body portion over the wearer's forehead to keep the towel from impeding the wearer's sight. The horizontal body portions 13 form the brim-like structures 17 forwardly and backwardly, and the vertical body portions 14 still effectively cover the both sides of face as that worn with a cap.

The vertical body portions 14 can be positioned to drape toward either front or back of the wearer's upper body. Each of the vertical body portions 14 can be alternatively positioned, depending on the degree of coverage and airflow that a wearer wants. When the vertical body portions are positioned forward to the chest as shown in FIG. 3 a, the wearer can expect more sun protection but less ventilation on the face. When the vertical body portions are positioned toward the back, the wearer can expect less sun protection but more ventilation on the face. The horizontal body portion 13 covering the visor 15 can be fold back for less sun protection but more ventilation. A wearer can tuck the vertical body portions 13 into the wearer's shirt in a very windy or a cold condition.

FIG. 3 c shows a wearer can easily rotate the towel 90 degree either clockwise or counterclockwise by pushing one of the vertical body portions 14 toward the forward side of brim 16 with one hand while the other hand holds a hat 12. This allows the towel to form a long back coverage and a long face coverage draping from the brim 16. When the towel is worn with a cap in this manner, the towel forms brim-like structures 17 in the side direction, a long back coverage and a long face coverage draping from the visor. This alternative way to wear the towel can be chosen when the sun is located forward of the wearer's head and the wearer needs to work stationary without changing working direction in relation to the sun. The wearer's face and neck must be more protected from forward sunlight with lots of ventilation in the both sides of the face.

There can be alternative embodiments and ways to use. The opening 4 of the invention does not have to be located in the center, and the body edge 2 of the towel may not be straight. In the alternative embodiments illustrated in FIG. 1 b and FIG. 4, the opening 4 is not centered, which allows only one vertical body portion 14, and the body edge 2 of the towel is partially round. This embodiment allows the towel to protect only one side of the head and the neck depending on what position the wearer wants to protect by rotating the towel. For example, only backside of neck, left, right or front side of face and neck can be covered,

The shield can be instantly removed without taking off from the headgear. One of two vertical body portions shielding the head can be folded up toward opposite side of head as illustrated in FIG. 5 a. This will enhance the wearer's vision and the ventilation at the exposed side. In this condition, Another vertical body portion still shielding one side of face can be additionally be overlaid on the already folded body. This results in the exposure of both side of the face with maintaining the coverage forwardly by covering the visor and backwardly by forming the brim-like structure. This instant adjustment of shielding should be very convenient for the wearer in many cases. For example, the golf player can adjust the degree of shielding, vision and ventilation dependently on different situations. The vertical body portion impeding the vision toward the hole cup during putting can be instantly removed. Both of vertical body portions can be folded up during actually hitting the ball. During the transition between each play, the shield can be promptly restored by pulling down the vertical body portions.

A clip 18 can be attached to a cord to increase the shielding ability of the towel. For example, the airflow can be blocked by clipping the rear side of confronting edges 19 under the brim-like structure 17 backward the wearer's cap, thereby allowing the towel more wind or cold protection than that without the clip. As shown in FIG. 6, a wearer can clip the front side of confronting edges 19 forward the wearer's face without impeding the wearer's sight. This allows the towel to extensively protect the wearer's face from sun, wind or cold condition. A clip can be also used to decrease the size of the opening 4 by binding the two positions of the elastic fabric or other affixations attached to the opening 4, thereby allowing the opening 4 to fit in even extra small head size as that of a small child. In the place of the clip, other fastening methods such as a snap, a button, a zipper or a loop-hook can be attached at whatever position the wearer wants. However, the clip has advantages in that the releasable attachment of the clip allows the towel to easily restore the original functions of the towel and it does not irritate the wearer's skin while the permanently attached fastening tools somewhat inhibit the original function of the towel and irritate the wearer's skin.

The invention can be used as a regular towel when the wearer does not have to use it as a headcover. This means the invention has at least dual functions. When used as a regular towel, the opening 4 in the towel can encircle around other objects instead of the crown of the cap. For example, a golfer can use the invention for the purpose of not only a headcover but also a golf towel. The opening 4 in the golf towel can encircle around the head of a golf club, preferentially the big head of a driver, sticking out of a golf bag by one simple step of tugging motion. This allows the towel to increase the security. Considering that the golf towel is one of items which can be easily lost during transition, this securing ability increased by the opening 4 should increase the value of the golf towel. Some golf towels have hooks to be secured in the golf bag, but the inventor found out that hooking is more difficult and time-consuming than tugging motion for securing and releasing. The invention can also be a bib when the opening 4 encircles the wearer's neck, and a muffler when the towel body wraps the wearer's neck.

While the present invention has been related in terms of the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the embodiments depicted. The present invention can be practiced with modification and alteration within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Thus, the description is to be regarded as illustrative instead of restrictive on the present invention. 

1. A head-covering towel comprising: a body of planar, flexible fabric, a body edge defining a body portion to be oblong, a lengthwise axis of symmetry from which any points lying on the body edge at equal distances are generally equal; an opening large enough to get the crown of a headgear inserted, an opening edge defining the opening; an affixation attached proximate the opening edge to enable the opening to accommodate the crown of a headgear, functioning to releasablely secure the body around the crown of a headgear, wherein when the head-covering towel is located on a headgear, the size of the opening is not larger than the size of the crown of the headgear, allowing the body to be removed only upwardly; and a horizontal body portion located in the area surrounding the opening, covering at least partial portion of the visor or the brim of the headgear, wherein when the head-covering towel is located on a headgear, the horizontal body portion extends the coverage outwardly from the wearer's head, at least one vertical body portion long enough to drape downwardly to shield at least one side of face and neck from unpleasant weather conditions such as wind, cold, dust and sun.
 2. The head-covering towel set forth in claim 1 comprising Indicia representing logo or advertising information displayed on the body.
 3. The head-covering towel set forth in claim 2 comprising Indicia representing logo or advertising information displayed on the affixation.
 4. The head-covering towel set forth in claim 1 comprising a clip attached to the body to hold the body edges at two different locations for extensive coverage.
 5. A head-covering towel comprising: a body of planar, flexible fabric, a body edge defining a body portion to be oblong, a lengthwise axis of symmetry from which any points lying on the body edge at equal distances are generally equal; an opening large enough to get the crown of a headgear inserted, an opening edge defining the opening; a size adjustment means attached proximate the opening edge, enabling the size of the opening to be adjusted, enabling the opening to accommodate the crown of a headgear, functioning to releasablely secure the body around the crown of a headgear, wherein when the head-covering towel is located on a headgear, and the size adjustment means is adjusted to secure the head-covering towel to the headgear, the size of the opening is not larger than the size of the crown of the headgear, allowing the body to be removed only upwardly; and a horizontal body portion located in the area surrounding the opening, covering at least partial portion of the visor or the brim of the headgear, wherein when the head-covering towel is located on a headgear, the horizontal body portion extends the coverage outwardly from the wearer's head, at least one vertical body portion long enough to drape downwardly to shield at least one side of face and neck from unpleasant weather conditions such as wind, cold, dust and sun.
 6. The head-covering towel set forth in claim 5 comprising indicia representing logo or advertising information displayed on the body.
 7. The head-covering towel set forth in claim 5 comprising Indicia representing logo or advertising information displayed on the affixation.
 8. The head-covering towel set forth in claim comprising a clip attached to the size adjustment means to hold the body edges at two different locations for extensive coverage.
 9. A head-covering towel comprising: a body of planar, flexible fabric, a body edge defining a body portion to be oblong, a lengthwise axis of symmetry from which any points lying on the body edge at equal distances are generally equal; an opening large enough to get the crown of a headgear inserted, an opening edge defining the opening; an affixation attached proximate the opening edge and a size adjustment means attached proximate the affixation with, the size adjustment housed in the affixation enables the size of the opening to be adjusted thereby enabling the opening to accommodate the crown of a headgear, functioning to releasablely secure the body around the crown of a headgear, wherein when the head-covering towel is located on a headgear and, the size adjustment means is adjusted to secure the head-covering towel to the headgear, the size of the opening is not larger than the size of the crown of the headgear, allowing the body to be removed only upwardly; and a horizontal body portion located in the area surrounding the opening, covering at least partial portion of the visor or the brim of the headgear, wherein when the head-covering towel is located on a headgear, the horizontal body portion extends the coverage outwardly from the wearer's head, at least one vertical body portion long enough to drape downwardly to shield at least one side of face and neck from unpleasant weather conditions such as wind, cold, dust and sun.
 10. The head-covering towel set forth in claim 9 comprising Indicia representing logo or advertising information displayed on the body.
 11. The head-covering towel set forth in claim 9 comprising Indicia representing logo or advertising information displayed on the affixation.
 12. The head-covering towel set forth in claim 9 comprising a clip attached to the size adjustment means to hold the body edges at two different locations for extensive coverage. 